


A Walk in the Garden

by ninathechindianwriter



Category: Enola Holmes (2020)
Genre: I had so much fun writing this ahhh, Plants, nerd, tewky is such a good dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:00:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27440836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninathechindianwriter/pseuds/ninathechindianwriter
Summary: Tewksbury and his daughter Rose have a quiet afternoon together in the gardens and Rose learns a thing or two about a particularly nasty plant. Luckily, her father is there to help. Basically a short fic of Tewky being the good father and plant nerd he is.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 51





	A Walk in the Garden

**Author's Note:**

> Hello my fellow Holmesbury fans! As you all may know, this week has been pretty hectic in the US and on top of that, mine has been pretty crazy. I have a lot of exams coming up, so I haven’t been online much but I have not forgotten! I’m still brainstorming and writing, just not as much as before. I promise after the tough part is past, I’ll be writing very frequently because I’ll be on break so super excited for that :)) Keep an eye out for a fic this evening! This time, I’ll be writing more often so don’t worry! You’ll have lots of Holmesbury content in the coming weeks!

“Rose, slow down,” Tewksbury called out as his daughter’s skipping form got smaller and smaller. “Papa’s a bit slow!”

Rose heard her father’s call and stopped skipping. She continued to hum the piece she was learning from her piano lessons as Tewksbury made his way over. He couldn’t believe how fast she was growing. One moment he was holding her in his arms and now, she has grown into a beautiful and thoughtful girl. Not to mention brilliant. At six years old, she was already reading full books and playing sonatas on the piano, and Tewksbury knew her talents came from her mother. However, she had a calm and reserved demeanor that was way beyond her years and he couldn’t help but see himself in her as well. The way she thought, conducted herself, and reacted to her surroundings all came from him. Her looks also came from him, and that was something he took great pride in. She was his little girl, after all. 

“Papa, hurry up!” Rose’s voice broke his chain of thought. 

“Alright, alright,” Tewksbury laughed as he jogged for the remaining distance. “I’m coming.”

As soon as he reached her, he scooped her up and began to tickle her. Their laughter quickly echoed through the gardens and Tewksbury was convinced they could hear them all the way back in the manor.

“Papa, stop,” Rose squealed in delight. “That tickles!”

“Of course,” said Tewksbury as he gave one last tickle under her chin. “Just having some fun.”

“Yes,” she said as he placed her back on the ground. “Let’s keep going!”

“Ahh, yes. Wouldn’t want to miss the flowers,” he said with a smile as they began to walk again. 

When they reached their destination, Tewksbury held his hand out. Rose immediately held her hands behind her back and shook her head.

“You have to choose my left or my right hand,” she said.

Tewksbury raised an eyebrow as he pretended to think. He knew exactly which hand she had it in because it was the same every time. 

“A hard decision. But I have ultimately decided that it’s in your left hand.”

With a grin, Rose placed a small golden key into his open palm. 

“I didn’t forget,” she said proudly. 

“I’m very glad,” said Tewksbury with a chuckle. “After all, it’s your garden. You wouldn’t be able to get in if you didn’t have the key.”

“That would be terrible,” she said as she nodded her head in agreement. 

Tewksbury put the key into the lock and turned, unlocking the door to the small garden. Her garden. The garden he made just for her after she was born. It was a special place for both of them as it symbolized the birth of his first child for him and his undying love for her. It was a decently sized garden that was just big enough to be cozy but not small enough to be cramped. To the left, there was a small fountain with some fish and right next to it was a bench swing. Besides the stone pathway, the rest of the garden was covered in flowers, made up of roses, chrysanthemums, azaleas, and many more. They made their way to the fountain and Tewksbury took a seat on the edge. Rose leaned over and looked into the water. 

“Hi, fishes,” Rose called as she waved her free hand at them. “I’m back! Did you miss me?”

“Rose, do you remember what they are called?” Tewksbury asked as he pulled a small metal tin from his pocket. 

“Koi,” she said without hesitation. “They’re cute little Koi fish.”

“Very good,” Tewksbury said, chuckling. He handed her the tin. “Though I wouldn’t say they’re little. They’re quite big in comparison to some fish.”

“Hmm,” she said as she opened the tin and dumped its contents into the water. “If they eat this food they’ll get even bigger!” 

Tewksbury laughed as he watched his daughter stare in awe at all the fish who came up to eat the food she just dumped in. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Rose spoke again. 

“I think they’re tired now.” 

“Really?” Tewksbury raised his eyebrows. “What makes you say so?”

“Because they just ate and now they’re sleepy. Like Harold. He takes a nap every time he’s done eating.”

“That’s a good point,” said Tewksbury, impressed at her observation. “He is indeed very sleepy after he eats,” he added, referring to his youngest child, who was only a month old. 

“I wonder why,” she said thoughtfully. “Food doesn’t make me sleepy.” 

“I don’t know either. Maybe we should let them rest. Why don’t we learn about some flowers?” he offered as he stood up and began to walk towards a bush with blue flowers. Rose nodded and followed him.

“They’re pretty,” she said as she sniffed one of the flowers. 

“Yes, and you have seen them before,” said Tewksbury as he sniffed a flower of his own. They were fresh. “Can you recall what they’re called?”

“Hydrangea?”

“Spot on! To be more exact, Hydrangea macrophylla. Very good, Rose.” 

She nodded, proud of herself. She began to make her way over to some orange flowers. After sniffing them, she turned towards him with a confused look.

“I don’t remember these,” she said as she examined the stem and the petals. 

“Tulipa gesneriana,” Tewksbury responded. “But we just call them tulips.” 

“Tulip,” she repeated. “They’re very cute. I think Grandmother has some in her room.”

“Yes, she does. They’re one of her favorites,” he said with a chuckle. “I have another question for you. Do you remember the name of these flowers over here?” He pointed towards a bush of chrysanthemums. 

“I forgot how to say it, Papa,” she said as a frown formed on her face. “Ch-chrysathebums?” 

“Almost. It’s Chry-san-themum,” Tewksbury sais slowly, sounding out the word for her. 

“They’re your mummy’s favorite flower, you know. They’re very special to her.”

“Chrysanthemum,” she said as she focused all her energy into the word. “Did I say it right this time?”

“Yes,” said Tewksbury as he patted her head. “Well done.” 

All the sudden, something seemed to catch her attention and she took off. Tewksbury suspected she saw something interesting. His suspicions were confirmed when she squealed in delight. 

“Papa, look! It’s so shiny!” 

Tewksbury’s eyes widened as he saw what she was after. 

“Rose, no no no! Don’t touch that!” 

Too late. She already had several English ivy leaves in her hands and there was no way she got a hold of them without reaching through more ivy plants. He groaned, knowing what would come next. 

“Papa, isn’t it so shiny?” she asked as she held out a leaf for him. “Want one?”

Tewksbury shook his head vigorously as he motioned to her to drop them.

“No, put those down right now,” he said with a serious tone. 

Rose hung her head low and looked at the leaves one more time before she dropped them to the ground. Her bottom lip quivered. 

“I’m sorry. Don’t be angry. They’re just leaves.”

Tewksbury shook his head as he knelt down to her level. He lifted her chin gently and looked into her eyes. 

“Rose, those aren’t normal leaves. It’s Englisn ivy. You see, for may people, touching them makes them very itchy and often times they break into a nasty rash. Trust me, it is not fun and you don’t want to experience the worst of it.” 

Rose nodded, showing she understood. Tewksbury felt awful for raising his voice, but he didn’t want her to suffer from the consequences. Many people had allergies to English ivy and although he has never gotten it himself (a miracle), he saw what it looked like and heard the annoyed groans of those who itched themselves day and night. On top of that, he didn’t want the ivy to get near baby Harold, whos skin was still sensitive and immune system not developed. He knew the plant’s poison couldn’t be spread from human to human easily, but it was still possible if the oils from the plant came in contact with someone else’s skin. His father taught him all about it and suddenly he thought of an idea. 

“Rose, my dear?” he asked as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind Rose’s ear. “Why don’t we head back home and give you a nice cool bath. I’ll apply some aloe vera ointment as well to soothe the itching.”

“But I don’t itch right now,” she said with a frown. 

“Oh, it’ll kick in soon enough,” said Tewksbury as he patted her shoulder. “If we get back now we can start the treatments and hopefully stop it before it gets worse.”

“Why can’t I have a warm bath?” 

“If the water’s warm, it’ll stop the itching for a very short time. Cold water makes the relief last longer,” he answered as he stood back up. “Assuming it’s going to be all over your hands, arms, and legs, I think you want as little itching as possible,” he added with a wink. “Come, let’s get back inside.”

“And what’s the other stuff?” Rose asked as she followed her father out of the garden. “Aloe vera? It sounds like someones name.”

“Yes, it’s aloe vera,” Tewksbury said, turning the key to lock the garden. “It’s been used for hundreds of years to soothe skin irritation or injury.”

“Wait.” Rose paused before speaking. “You forgot the scientific name.”

“Right! Aloe barbadensis,” he said with a grin. “Now, let’s get home and put some on you before the itching begins.”

Rose nodded and skipped along beside him as they made their way back to the manor. He figured he would tell the gardners about removing the ivy vines later, as he had more pressing things to address at the moment. In the meantime, until they’re removed, he thought it would be best to keep his children away from there. 

“Wait, Papa?” she asked as they exited the gardens and walked towards the house. “If the plant is poisonous, does that mean I can’t touch anyone for a long time? I can’t hug anyone?”

“No, don’t worry,” said Tewksbury as he knelt down again. “Only for a few days. We just have to make sure all the plant oils are out of your system and that takes a little bit of time. Like I said earlier, if we catch it early it’s easier to manage.”

“Papa?”

Yes?”

“How do you know everything about everything?”

Tewksbury threw his head back and laughed, then placed a quick kiss on her forehead.

“I wouldn’t say that,” he said, giving her a wink. “There’s plenty of things I know nothing about.”

“I don’t think so,” she said, shaking her head. “Papa knows all.”

“If you say so, my dear.”


End file.
